Sak Tahn Waax ("White-Chested Fox") is now the first named Maya astronomer in history! Found at the San Bartolo-Xultun site in Guatemala, where murals in Structure 10K-2 — first excavated by David Stuart's University of Texas at Austin team starting in 2010 — yielded his name alongside a calendar formula linking Venus and Mars, dated to AD 781, making him the earliest known Classic Maya mathematician-astronomer by name.
First named Maya astronomer identified at Xultun, Guatemala
GuatemalaEpigraphy
Key facts
- Researchers identified the first named ancient Maya astronomer/mathematician in history: Sakon Wash, meaning "White-Breasted Fox"
- The discovery was published by Cambridge University Press
- The discovery was made at the ancient Maya site of Xultun in northeastern Guatemala, in Structure 10K-2
- The excavation was first conducted by David Stewart and his team from the University of Texas at Austin, starting in 2010, over three seasons
- Murals were found painted on the walls of the structure, with two walls showing images of rulers from the site
- Murals were painted on top of one another, with multiple layers preserved
- 52 advanced calculations were found on alternate walls, along with dates, tables, and images of lunar deities
- One calculation attempted to determine which deities would be associated with the moon on certain days, dating back 935 to 6,073 years from present
- The calculation was signed by its author, Sakon Wash
- The calculations and tables are similar to those depicted in the Dresden Codex
Site mentioned
Sources
Maya Astronomer's Name Identified in Guatemalaarchaeology.org
Maya mathematician and astronomer who lived. San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site, The name, Sak Tahn Waax, is translated as "White-chested Fox."
Maya Mathematician-Astronomer Named in Xultunbrieflynews.io
A Maya mathematician-astronomer has been identified from a painted chamber at Xultun, Guatemala. · The named individual is called Saktahn ( ...
First Named Maya Astronomer Identified in Xultun Inscriptionverity.news
Xultun finally puts a name to Maya science — Sak Tahn Waax, or "White-chested Fox," is now the first known Classic Maya mathematician.
Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer ...nationalgeographic.com
His moniker translates to "White-chested Fox." Maya ruins of Xultun in Guatemala, Maya ruins of Xultun in Guatemala have, for the first time, ...
In 781, a Maya scholar at Xultun signed a calendar formula ...timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Maya scholar at Xultun signed a calendar formula linking Venus and Mars, and archaeologists say he may be the earliest named astronomer in the ...
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